World Cup 2010

This World Cup will be remembered for two things that happened for the first time; it was the first time the World Cup was played on African soil and it was the first time Spain lifted the trophy. However, the 2010 World Cup will also be remembered for the Rainbow Turtle World Cup Prize Draw!!!

The 'Rainbow Nation' of South Africa did not disappoint. There was joy in the streets and in the stands and who will ever forget the magical sound of the 'vuvuselas' - still ringing in my ears. To celebrate the first World Cup in Africa Rainbow Turtle held a prize draw. The competition was open to anyone who purchased an African product or a product sourced, in part, from Africa. The entrants simply chose the team they thought would win, put their entry slip into the pot and watched to see if their team would make it through.

A fairtrade football - These wereon
promotion in the Rainbow Turtle
shop during the world cup.

The tournament was not without its usual share of upset and controversy. At the group stages we lost two of the world's most household names - France and Italy -holders and runners-up from the 2006 tournament in Germany. Ghana were the only African side to make it through to the knock-out stage, perhaps unsurprisingly as they are powered by Divine Chocolate!

The most popular choice for Rainbow Turtle competition entrants was England so there were disappointments north of the border too as the England side bowed out after a display of poor defending against some spectacular German football.

As more favourites faltered and the entry slips left in the pot became fewer and fewer we were impressed by Uruguay, possibly the surprise side of the tournament. For a country with a population of less than 5million to reach the semi-final was a great achievement, but the Netherlands were too much for them and after Spain dispatched of Germany in the other semi-final, there were only two teams left in it.

The final itself was disappointing, scoreless after full-time, but Iniesta's extra-time goal eventually won Spain the World Cup. Dutch hearts broke across the globe as did those of a few supporters of fair trade who had selected the Netherlands in the Rainbow Turtle Prize Draw and had their eye on the £10 gift voucher prize.

When all was said and done there were four names left in the pot. The winner was John Alexander of Paisley. John said "It's always nice to win. Football's never been my game but Fair Trade is."

Thanks to all who supported African producers at Rainbow Turtle during the World Cup. In this small but significant way we have all helped in the struggle against poverty in Africa and helped to make the first African World Cup work for the people of Africa.

Written by Simon Ruane

Rainbow Turtle chosen for launch of paisley.org.uk Community Champions

 Renfrewshire Council for Voluntary Services (RCVS) and paisley.org.uk are working together to highlight community champions; charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises that are working to make paisley a better place.

From paisley.org.uk;
"RCVS exists to help community and voluntary groups in any way we can for the greater good of Renfrewshire's citizens. From securing funding, training staff and running events to handling payrolls, printing and the creation of promotional films, we aim to help local groups no matter what their needs are."

paisley.org.uk is a popular community-driven website for locally-based people to stay connected to the events of the town, and is a great place to launch articles promoting local champions, to further the promotion of the town.

Paisley Town Hall - View from St Mirren Street, across the White Cart Water. © Copyright Susie Young and licensed for reuse under thisCreative Commons License.

Paisley Town Hall - View from St Mirren Street, across the White Cart Water.
© Copyright Susie Young and licensed for reuse under thisCreative Commons License.

Rainbow Turtle were chosen to be the first entry for the Community Champions section of paisley.org.uk, and we are as proud as ever to be a part of the local community. However, the local community is also a part of us as we rely heavily on a dedicated team of local volunteers; we all work together to continue ethical trading and to raise awareness of ethical approaches to shopping, and their effect on the wider world.

We wish good luck to paisley.org.uk and RCVS in their partnership to promote Community Champions, and would like to thank them for asking Rainbow Turtle to be the subject of the first article in the Community Champions blog.

Links:

·       Blog Article about Community Champions

·       Community Champions section

·       Article about Rainbow Turtle on paisley.org

Clerical Stoles are selling like hot cakes

With the launch of the new online store and Liz hosting a stall at the Methodist Conference in Portsmouth, the Clerical Stoles been selling fast and we are overjoyed.

In Mozambique The Women's Limanyano of the Methodist church work together to sew the Stoles into form. Pedro Langa, an artist based in Maputo, Mozambique, hand paints them with beautiful iconic symbols.

There are stoles in various Liturgical colours with wonderful batik patterns and symbols; some of the stoles are decorated with symbols of cultural significance. Symbols such as the Mackerel - a food of necessity - and the ceremonious African drums, describe various aspects of the challenging life faced by people in Mozambique, and are truly a work of art. The result is an item of clergy-wear which is not only made with fair trade principles, but which also expresses a powerful symbol of culture, strength, and support to those that witness its use in celebration. Each Story stole comes complete with a description of the paintings and their meanings, so that stole owners can discuss the hardships of life in Mozambique, and how a helping hand can be given through trading fairly.

Having an online store gives us the opportunity to make this exciting clergy-wear available to a wider audience; Searching Fairtrade Clerical Stoles brings people to our online store, and people from all over the world can browse, though the delivery system is currently organised for UK sales.

With only half the original stock remaining, we are making preparations to have more stoles made. I for one cannot wait to see more of Pedro's colourful work arrive at Rainbow Turtle's doorstep.